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News Release
International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight set for Homecoming week
Some of the speakers slated for this year's conference are (left to right): Alan Stern, Former NASA Associate Administrator for Space and Earth Sciences; 3. Jeff Greason, President, XCOR; 4. Ken Bowersox, Vice President of Astronaut Safety and Mission Assurance, Space X; 5. Lori Garver, Deputy Administrator, NASA; 2. Michael Lopez Alegria, Assistant Director for ISS, Flight Crew Operations Directorate NASA Johnson Space Center; 6. Gary Payton, Deputy Under Secretary of the Air Force for Space Programs.
New Mexico State University will host the fifth International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight during Homecoming week this year. The symposium is part of New Mexico’s Space Week. The symposium theme is “Delivering on the Promise of Spaceflight for Mankind.”
Events start on Tuesday, October 20, 8:30-noon with the free Leonard R. Sugerman Public Forum. The Forum theme is “Building a Spaceport Community.” Colonel Sugerman was ab advocate and supporter of many NMSU projects: every college on the NMSU campus was a recipient of funding by Sugerman who was one of the university's most generous supporters. The Sugerman Public Forum is sponsored by the Physical Science Laboratory where Sugerman worked for 26 years after his retirement from the Air Force. The forum will be held at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum.
On Wednesday and Thursday, October 21-22, the International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight (ISPCS) will be held at the New mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum. The symposium is the industry’s leading gathering for the visionaries and builders delivering the promise of spaceflight for mankind. The symposium features information sessions, networking opportunities and provides attendees with the latest news, topics, trends, and best practices that demonstrate personal and commercial spaceflight is a reality.
Tom Burton, academic head of NMSU’s Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department is chair of the session titled “University Aerospace Research Programs as Enablers of Growth of Commercial Space.” Additional session titles include:
- Flight Safety: Lessons Learned and Opportunities for Innovation
- A Pilot’s Perspective Flying the New Space Vehicles
- Survey Results on Commercial Human Spaceflight
- Augustine Committee Review of Manned Space Flight at NASA
- The Suborbital Future Beyond Tourism: The Research and Education Market
- Small Satellites for Orbital and Sub-orbital Applications
- Launch Vehicle Options for Future Operators in the Sub-orbital Environment
- Unique Capabilities in New Mexico for RLV and Payload Processing
- Space Operations: Lessons Learned and Opportunities for Innovation
Friday, October 23 includes a hardhat tour of Spaceport America. Registration is required. Please register on-line at http://spacegrant.nmsu.edu/ispcs/
September 2009